House Speaker Thom Tillis will highlight teacher pay raises approved by the North Carolina legislature this year in a television ad that will begin airing on the eve of his first U.S. Senate debate with Democratic incumbent Kay Hagan.

A Tillis spokesman said the commercial that starts running Tuesday is part of a $1.4 million ad purchase by his campaign and the National Republican Senatorial Committee. The three-week effort will cover five media markets.

The ad released Thursday shows the Republican in a classroom and talking about the average 7 percent raises. Tillis then tries to connect Hagan to President Barack Obama.

The Hagan campaign says Tillis is using the ad to hide his anti-education record of teacher cuts and higher class sizes.